Top 10: Budget Airlines

Number 3

AirArabia, United Arab Emirates

While you don’t automatically associate the United Arab Emirates and its surrounding high-rise cities with a shoestring budget, AirArabia breaks the mold to offer its passengers cheap seats for decent prices. Based in Sharjah, it operates services to 32 places in the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Only 4 years old, the carrier offers visitors to Sharjah International Airport direct access to Dubai, a super-fast check-in process, low congestion, and service with a beautiful smile. Once on board, passengers will enjoy seat pitches of 32 inches — more legroom than any another economy airline in existence. With plans to set up a secondary base in Rabat, Morocco, AirArabia also plans to move in on the European market in the not-too-distant future.

Number 2

AirAsia, Malaysia

Founded by dotcom business-brain Tony Fernandes in 2001, AirAsia has singlehandedly unlocked the gateway to Asia. Voted “Airline Of The Year 2007,” its bright red aircrafts now fly to over 48 destinations in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Macau, China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and the Philippines, and is the first carrier in the area allowed to fly domestic routes. With the Kuala Lumpur to Penang route costing no more than $3, it’s hardly surprising that 35 million passengers have already taken to the skies with AirAsia. With no tickets, no seat allocations and no frills, AirAsia has steadily climbed up the low-budget airline ranks to settle nicely into our No. 2 spot.

Number 1

EasyJet, UK

Based at London Luton Airport but running flights from both Gatwick and Heathrow, EastJet was the first low-budget airline to fly outside of Europe. Operating 387 routes between 104 destinations in Europe and North Africa, it is now listed on the London Stock Exchange as a public company. Booking is easy and completed online, with reference numbers handed out to passengers in place of tickets (a convenient strategy that was copied by dozens of other carriers shortly after). While EasyJet’s cabins are configured in a single class, with unflattering grays and brazen oranges used throughout the crowded aisles, the carrier does stretch to the furthest destinations for the cheapest, and, for the majority, runs flights that depart when they say they’re going to depart. A seat from Gatwick to Morocco can be snagged for little more than $60, for example. Cheap, cheerful and singlehandedly bringing travel to the masses, EasyJet deserves to be our No. 1 budget airline.

leaving on a jet plane

Everyone likes a deal, even the high-fliers amongst us, which is why budget airlines are big business at the moment; even if you’ve a penchant for all-first-class carriers serving lobster on silver platters, a seat that doesn’t stretch into triple figures can be hard to resist.